Can you explain why Mitch Trubisky still has to develop, according to Coach Nagy, when we see other rookie or second-year quarterbacks enter a game and play relatively mistake-free and execute an offense efficiently? I understand the formations are more complicated because of Nagy’s offense. But don’t all quarterbacks and receivers use the same passing-route tree, even with those different formations? And isn’t Trubisky’s problem that he is not an accurate passer? To put it bluntly, is the complexity of the Nagy system just an excuse for Trubisky’s poor performance, or might he be no more than an average quarterback? How much can Nagy improve Trubisky’s accuracy? — John B., Springfield

There is an amazing volume of anxiety regarding Trubisky, the offense and the Bears’ 2018 season in the Mailbag this week. While not surprising, it’s important to point out that had any number of things gone differently Sunday night at Lambeau Field — Kyle Fuller catches an interception, Matt Nagy calls a successful run play on third-and-short, Eddie Jackson doesn’t let Randall Cobb get free, Trubisky makes some better reads — the Bears would be 1-0, and the avalanche of questions would be focused on the Bears overtaking Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and when deposits need to be in for playoff tickets. That’s reality in a hot-take society. If Fuller hangs on for the interception late in the game, the Bears win with a pedestrian outing by Trubisky, but very few of you would be zeroed in on that. Trubisky did not play particularly well. One key positive was he did not have a turnover, but he almost looked too gun shy at times. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket if a clear first or second read wasn’t there. He delivered a really nice pass into a tight window over the middle to Allen Robinson. Other than that, his throws from the pocket weren’t great and he was too quick to abandon the pocket on a few occasions. He missed Robinson on a fade route in the end zone. Twitter went bonkers with the play in which Trey Burton was open in the back of the end zone and Trubisky didn’t throw to him. He looked particularly uncomfortable on the final possession.

Everyone involved understands Trubisky and the offense are going to be overanalyzed. Maybe not everyone got the message Nagy was attempting to deliver in the final weeks of the summer, but he made it clear the offense would have growing pains and the Bears were not going to emerge as a polished product at the start of the season. They should be better on offense in November and December. Is accuracy an issue for Trubisky? He was at 59.4 percent last season. He has one game under his belt this season, so it’s premature to say if he’s improved, but he needs to get better. It’s going to take Trubisky time to get comfortable, and maybe a home game Monday night against the Seahawks will help. To ultimately answer your question — Is it possible he’s simply an average quarterback? — sure, it’s possible. We just don’t know yet, and those who have proclaimed him to be a star in the making don’t know, either, just as those who have wondered aloud if he’s a bust don’t know. The Bears are one game into a 16-game season and there is a lot out there for everyone to learn, observers included.

I think people are being a little too hard on Matt Nagy because even though he admitted to making some bad play calls, there were definitely other factors that contributed to the loss. It seemed like the Bears changed their game plan for the second half (as did the Packers). I’m curious as to why they didn’t try to blitz more in the second half, seeing as how Aaron Rodgers was hurt. I know they did it on the 75-yard touchdown to Randall Cobb and got burned, but it seemed as if they allowed him to be comfortable/have too much time in the pocket. Did they feel like they were better off putting pressure on the receivers as opposed to the quarterback? — Petrie P., Parts Unknown

You make some valid points about people being hard on Nagy, but that’s what comes with the big-boy chair when you’re hired as a head coach in the NFL. The coach is evaluated by one thing — wins and losses — and when you fritter away a 20-point lead to your archrival, well, it’s not going to make for a pretty Monday or Tuesday. You’re absolutely correct that other factors contributed to the loss. When a 20-point lead evaporates, and I don’t care if it’s Aaron Rodgers on the other side or any quarterback, there is more than enough blame to spread around. There were many questions about why the Bears didn’t pressure Rodgers more, particularly in the second half after he returned from the left knee injury and was having some mobility issues. There are a series of points to make when it comes to this:

1. Vic Fangio doesn’t blitz a lot anyway. The personnel has changed — and been upgraded significantly — from last season when the Bears used five or more pass rushers on 23.4 percent of pass plays, according to Football Outsiders, which ranked 17th in the league. The Bears sent three pass rushers on 15 percent of the snaps, which was the sixth-highest figure.

2. One of the greatest advantages to adding Khalil Mack to the defense — in fact perhaps the single greatest advantage — is that the pass rush should be effective without blitzing. That’s the beauty of having an elite edge presence like Mack. You can generate the consistent pressure that other teams generally have to devote extra rushers to get and you can do so with seven defenders in coverage. That’s what two first-round draft picks and the record-setting contract acquired for the Bears. One theory is the Bears will blitz even less now because they have Mack, which will afford them more opportunities to cover. Mack can win by himself and he’s going to make the others on the line better too. I get it: This flies in the face of what folks want to read most of the time, but this is a good thing. Without question the initial public reaction to a change in a defensive coordinator is — and this is 100 percent tested and accurate — that the new guy will be more aggressive than the old guy.

3. Hobbled as he was, Rodgers was getting the ball out pretty quickly on most of those throws in the second half.

4. The Bears were torched the three times they did bring five pass rushers in the game. The result on those blitzes were three completions for 155 yards, including the 75-yard backbreaker to Cobb.

One of the more challenging aspects of Bears fandom of late has been arguing with fellow fans about the relative value of Mitch Trubisky. Truthfully, my functional team memory stops around Erik Kramer — and, regardless, this team bar is exceptionally low — but an argument can be made that Trubisky is already the best quarterback the Bears have fielded this century. He is a better leader than Jay Cutler, more trustworthy than Rex Grossman, more explosive than Kyle Orton, as dangerous a runner as Kordell Stewart (in his Bears years) and generally more likable than everyone except perhaps Josh McCown. Certainly, Trubisky’s stat lines remain pedestrian, but again, how many former signal callers had better numbers after their first 13 starts? For this reason, I feel Bears fans should remain largely on the Trubisky bandwagon until proven otherwise. Can you provide a little nuanced perspective? Should we be longing for the erstwhile days of Grossman to Moose, or is this the best we Bears fans have had it? — T.J. S. Los Angeles

The most salient point you made is that the bar is set very low for Bears quarterbacks. If Trubisky is atop this list, and everyone is going to have a different opinion, that doesn’t mean he’s good enough to win a Super Bowl or consistently challenge for a division title, does it? Sure, Bears fans love to dump on Grossman, but he played some damn good football for stretches of the 2006 seasons, and the team reached Super Bowl XLI with him. Ultimately, the best leaders are also among the best players, so Trubisky has to grow in this area. I suppose it’s a fun conversation, but ultimately what does it matter if he’s the best option at quarterback for the team since 2000? As you point out, that doesn’t say a whole lot, does it? Plenty of folks are on edge, and you’re taking more of a wait-and-see approach, which is probably the best move at this point. He certainly has a chance to be the best quarterback the club has had in a long time, and the Bears have worked hard to surround him with talent that can help bring out his best.

My belief that processing the field, poise under pressure and good mechanics in passing are largely the package by the NFL draft for a quarterback and can only be improved to a small degree — you have it or you don't. The intensive training this year by Matt Nagy and others doesn't seem to have improved Mitch Trubisky much. He looked a like deer in the headlights during that final drive. I know it is early, but I don’t see the intangibles in him to lead the Bears all the way. I see it in others, such as Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. My gut feeling is he’s not it. Yours? — Jim G., Quincy, Fla.

I’m not ready to declare what Trubisky is or is not going to be after one game in Year 2 and his first game in a new offense. If Trubisky plays much better Monday night against the Seahawks, I’m not going to write that he has arrived and is on the fast track to overtake Sid Luckman as the greatest quarterback in franchise history. We need some perspective and a larger sample size. And we need to take a deep breath and give this a little time. I agree he looked overwhelmed on the final drive. No question about that. My guess is Nagy probably would agree with us as well. The wild success Watson had last season as a rookie before his knee injury brought more focus onto what the Bears were doing with Trubisky. Mahomes was named the AFC offensive player of the week for his four-touchdown effort in the Chiefs’ upset of the Chargers on Sunday in Los Angeles. It was the second career start for Mahomes. I get it: Fans who have had to watch a crummy football team with particularly crummy quarterback play for a long time are eager to cheer someone who’s much better and they want results now. You have to give Trubisky some more time.

I’m not going to panic but I am concerned that Matt Nagy’s teams now have consecutive big-game collapses with him as the offensive play caller. After a similar hot start, Nagy was criticized heavily for failing to adjust after Travis Kelce’s concussion in the Chiefs' playoff loss to the Titans last season, and Nagy didn’t seem to have an answer for the Packers once they began to force the Bears off-script. In his introductory news conference, Nagy said he learned from that Chiefs defeat. What should Bears fans make of Nagy’s in-game strategy this time? — David D., Rogers Park

You’re in the minority of those who checked in with the Mailbag this week by declaring you’re not going to panic. That’s good because it’s getting crowded on the ledge this week. Nagy has been pretty candid in saying he’s going to learn as he goes, and that’s only going to come with experience. Let’s remember he was the play caller for only a brief time with the Chiefs last season. So he’s in his first season as a head coach and his first full season as a play caller. A ton of responsibility comes with both jobs, and he needed to do better in the second half Sunday. I’m more interested in what happens with Nagy on the Bears sideline and I’m not sure what happened in January in Kansas City really applies here. Sure, his team has blown two big leads, but he’s in a new situation here with new players and a new staff, and if Andy Reid didn’t like what was going on in that playoff loss to the Titans, he could have done something about it. We’re not going to be able to make generalizations about Nagy the head coach after one game.

The Bears and pursued Mitchell in free agency in 2014 before he signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Steelers, which at the time was the largest contract the organization had given to an outside free agent. Mitchell, 31, missed only three games in four seasons in Pittsburgh before he was released in the offseason. Injuries have taken a toll on him. He has been passed over by some other teams with safety needs, too, as he made a visit to the Titans for a workout in August. At this time of year, it is common for clubs to bring in players for tryouts for the primary purpose of updating emergency lists. They want to see what guys on the street look like in the event a need arises.

The Bears brought in three safeties for a tryout Monday with L.J. McCray and Kai Nacua joining Mitchell. McCray appeared in 22 games with the 49ers in 2014 and 2015 and has bounced around with the Panthers and Bills since but has not appeared in a regular-season game. Nacua signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent a year ago and played in all 16 games with three starts. He was released after one year and spent the summer with the Ravens.

Does Matt Nagy understand the fundamental football principle of stretching the field, or do all those second-half Mitch Trubisky 1- and 2-yarders count? — @1959whitesox

I think we’ll see the Bears get vertical this season, and they gave us some examples in this game. But let’s not lose sight of the fact Nagy’s greatest influence in the NFL is Andy Reid. As we know, Reid’s background is rooted in the West Coast offense. So this isn’t, say, an Air Coryell playbook that features more deep shots.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio must have confidence that Lynch’s experience in his scheme can make him a productive player. Fortunately for Lynch and Fangio, he’ll need to be only a role player now that Khalil Mack is on board. I was a little surprised to see Lynch start Sunday night. I’d be curious to know who was bidding against the Bears for Lynch in free agency as they gave him a $1.25 million signing bonus. That guaranteed money has to be one reason why he has stuck around. Might as well see if he can deliver on some of it, right?

I understand it will take Mitch Trubisky time to master Matt Nagy’s offense, but I have already seen a lot of the fan base start to turn on Trubisky. What are your thoughts on Trubisky’s development so far, and are you at all concerned? — @jjlaplanteeee

The biggest concern right now is his field vision. That needs to improve. He needs to be able to process reads from the pocket and deliver the ball. For me, that’s where development starts. Some guys make that transition and some don’t. Some take a little time to improve and some require more time. Remember, he started only one season at North Carolina, so he still has less than 30 career starts since leaving high school.

How often were the defensive backs (Kyle Fuller) on the Jugs machine during training camp and practice? — @ericratliff7

Apparently not often enough. The adage is that wide receivers who can’t catch the ball well enough become cornerbacks, right? Fuller acknowledged he should have made that catch late in the fourth quarter.

Do you think Tarik Cohen will get more pass plays this week? — @defocublife

Cohen was targeted four times and caught three passes for 16 yards against the Packers. I am more interested in whether $14 million-per-year wide receiver Allen Robinson will get more pass plays this week. If you want to focus on the passing game and improvements the Bears need to make, keep an eye on Robinson and more of the targets on the outside.

The plays I watched on offense showed Eric Kush substantially overmatched against the Packers. Anomaly, or a sign that he isn't good enough to keep this line playing at a high level? — @felicellijoe

The line, in general, was good but not great in the opener. Kush wasn’t perfect, and one play stood out when I watched the game again. The Bears were first-and-10 at the Packers 33-yard line late in the first quarter when wide receiver Allen Robinson went in motion. Mitch Trubisky ran a play fake, and Robinson was on the back side of the formation running a wheel route. He came wide open — it would have been an easy touchdown — but Trubisky never saw him as defensive tackle Mike Daniels flushed Trubisky out of the pocket after overpowering Kush. Negative play for Kush? No doubt. But Daniels is one of the better interior defensive linemen in the league and he’s going to win his share of assignments. Still, it’s a touchdown if the Bears block it and Trubisky pulls the trigger. Instead, they settled for a 26-yard field goal at the end of the drive.

Do you see the starting five changing up this week? — @chased65

I’m assuming you are referring to the offensive line. I don’t think the Bears will make a lineup change based off Sunday night’s game. On the list of reasons the team lost the game, the offensive line is going to be lower than most. I think the Bears will look to establish some continuity.

How much stock do you put into the first half of the Packers game? — @chisportchat

Not as much as I put in the second half, when the outcome was determined. It was a great start, though, and the last time the Bears were ahead 17 points on the Packers was in 1981. They went on to win that game 61-7.

It seemed to me in the second half that Mitch Trubisky couldn’t throw the ball downfield effectively. There is no way that young secondary blanketed all of the Bears receivers every play. What’s your outlook on him learning to throw to open players — can a quarterback develop that trait? — @witty_sportsguy

No question. Trubisky definitely looked a little off, especially if the timing of the play wasn’t quick and simple. He’s going to have to improve, and I imagine the game plan this week would seek to find throws he can make with simple reads where it’s one option or another. Matt Nagy did say during the preseason that Trubisky was right where they figured he would be in the development process, and you hope the loss to the Packers was more of a hiccup and a learning process than a sign of things to come.

You could make a case that Wims has more potential upside than White, but we’re not talking about a lot of action here. Wims hasn’t proved he can get open against starting-caliber cornerbacks yet either. It’s one thing to eat up defensive backs in the preseason who now are unemployed. But Wims looks like a solid prospect. White was on the field for 12 snaps wasn’t targeted for a pass. Considering the Bears’ investment in White, I would imagine he remains active on game days for a good chunk of the season. Storylines that have suggested White could break out in a new system have ignored the reality that the Bears essentially put three players ahead of him in the wide receiver room when they added Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller.

Does another week of practicing fully make it more likely Roquan Smith starts this week and plays a majority of the snaps after only eight in Week 1? — @jtbcubs

The Bears aren’t going to let us know if Smith is starting this week, but I would imagine he’s in line for a bump in playing time. I also don’t think Nick Kwiatkoski was as bad as some folks in the Mailbag suggested. Smith will be starting soon, and if it’s not Monday night, I’d be surprised if you have to wait much longer. The Bears were just as much a part of the contract dispute Smith was in, and the lost time is a factor in September.

Watching the coaches’ film, I see a distinct difference between Packers and Bears receivers. When Aaron Rodgers scrambled, Packers receivers tried to get open. When Mitch Trubisky scrambled, Bears receivers stood around. Is that fatigue or just a lack of familiarity with what Trubisky wants? — @maestermagoo

Rodgers has worked with some of his receivers an awfully long time, especially Randall Cobb, who broke off his route when Rodgers started to move in the pocket and was able to spring wide open behind free safety Eddie Jackson on the game-winning touchdown. That takes time to develop. It’s not as if Bears receivers were just standing around. That’s a hurdle for the Bears because Trubisky is inexperienced and his top-three targets are new to the team.

I’m not used to the Bears having depth at receiver. In what situation would Kevin White get playing time? Injury? Seems he could have been used to stretch the field Sunday, whether as a decoy or not. — @bykebyson

The Bears have better vertical threats. Allen Robinson, for starters, can win 1-on-1 throws deep. Taylor Gabriel has electric speed. Anthony Miller has more savvy at the position right now as well.

Third-and-1 with a chance to ice the game. Which running back should have been handed the ball? — @sd1206

Jordan Howard.

How do the Bears recover from a game they should have won? How do they set the tone for the next 15 games to ensure a successful season? — @kashbunker

The only way to show they have recovered is to defeat the Seahawks on Monday night at Soldier Field. If the Bears tie or lose that game, no one is going to believe they have “recovered” from the loss in Green Bay. I don’t know that they can set the tone for the season with one game against the Seahawks, but take a look at the first quarter of the season. In Week 3, the Bears travel to Arizona. The Cardinals looked terrible in the opener against the Redskins, and Sam Bradford is going to be hard pressed to challenge the defense. He’s not interested in throwing the ball downfield and is not mobile. In Week 4, the Bears are host to the Buccaneers. I give big props to Bucs coach Dirk Koetter for getting his team prepared to go into New Orleans and pull off an upset of the Saints that surely killed thousands upon thousands of Knockout Pool entries in Week 1. The offense was clicking with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the Bucs overwhelmed the Bears last season in Tampa. Still, it sets up for the Bears to be able to have some success in the first quarter of the season. If they’re 3-1 heading into October, you’ll be thrilled. And if they’re 2-2, it’s a step in the right direction. The Bears have not been better than 1-3 after the first four games since 2014.

Should fans be optimistic that Matt Nagy’s offense has more to offer than what was on display Sunday? — @josephwrobbins

Sixty-six offensive snaps, which is how many the Bears had against the Packers, provides only a brief introduction to the offense. Sure, there is a lot more to come. Let’s all take a deep breath and maybe borrow from Aaron Rodgers, who seems to know a little something about the game: R-E-L-A-X.

Seems Mitch Trubisky failed to look downfield and make his reads Sunday night. Was this an issue for him last year, and if not, do you attribute him missing open receivers later in Sunday’s game to inexperience in a new system or a sign of his inability to see the field going forward? — @mvarga99

Everything will smooth out when he becomes more comfortable in the pocket and keeps his vision downfield. He had a tendency to drop his eyes — a sign of an inexperienced quarterback and one he needs to overcome.

I noticed during a red-zone possession the camera zoomed in on Cody Whitehair holding the ball just before he hiked it. I’ve never seen a center fingertip the cone point of a football before — it was standing straight up. Is this normal? — @cityoftrees2

Whitehair switched his technique snapping the ball during the week of the Broncos preseason game with the joint practices in Denver. He went to what is called a “dead snap” and is more prevalent in college ball. However, Packers center Corey Linsley uses a similar technique, and it is becoming more popular. I wrote more at length about this change by Whitehair in 10 Thoughts this week. Scroll down to No. 6. Keep an eye out for it — you will find more centers doing it.

What was your assessment of Trey Burton’s performance? The Packers secondary seemed to play a great deal of man coverage, and it seemed Burton struggled creating any separation. Or did he just disappear? — @pagettadam

I think he needs to get more targets that are catchable. He had six targets but only one catch for 15 yards, which came on a nice corner route. It’s not like he was dropping passes.

How scared should we be of Trubisky? I’m pretty scared. — @rrgrahamnd

Everyone has a different opinion. I’d recommend taking a step back, attempting to have a broad focus and understanding Trubisky is going to be the guy for some time. The Bears are massively invested in him as the leader of this franchise. They’re not going to change course anytime soon. Give him a chance to develop and grow.

Will we see more targets for Anthony Miller? — @ryandomis

Miller had three targets. As I said earlier, I’d focus more on targets for Allen Robinson, but I say that with a belief that Miller will emerge as a really nice piece of the offense this season.

Will the head coach and quarterback learning curve evolve fast enough to dream about a winning season — and maybe even the playoff word? — @gongimenez

One opening loss doesn’t doom a season. The NFC has a lot of good teams. The Bears have a defense that should keep them in most games. They have a pretty solid running game too. Let’s see how it shakes out.